Johnny Hallyday – wild man of rock a la francaise

Johnny Hallyday, the French Elvis Presley and bad-boy of rock who turned into a national treasure, has died. He sold 100 million records, starred in several films including a Jean-Luc Godard, and remained at the top for forty years, though was virtually unknown elsewhere. The BBC said: ‘Hallyday’s stage presence was undeniable. He was a hip-swinging bolt of lightning, a sexually-charged wild man of rock, and a danger to public decency.’

Born 19 June 1943 1pm in Paris, he was abandoned as a baby, brought up by an aunt and started performing cowboy songs on stage aged nine, until he found rock n’ roll and never looked back. He became friends with Edith Piaf.

He had a Sun Gemini (like many pop stars) in his public-career 10th house, along with Saturn Uranus midheaven and Mercury also in Gemini. His Sun was square musical Neptune in his 1st; and his ultra-charming Venus Pluto in Leo along with Jupiter brought him to the attention of an eager society. His Mars in pro-active, impulsive Aries was in his 8th, so he would be harbouring a reservoir of anger, but channelled that into his career – with Mars trine Venus, sextile his MC. A singleton Capricorn Moon was in his 4th squared Mars, so he’d be eternally unsettled in his home life, only ever feeling he’d be loved if he achieved and not being remotely easy to live with. He went through five marriages, one lasting two months and drank and drugged to excess. But his 17th Harmonic – leaving a legacy for the future – was exceptionally well marked. A life lived to the full.